spring?

It feels like spring here, finally! And it looks like we'll have a good stretch of 40 degree weather. I even saw some patio tables and chair outside of a coffeeshop this morning, AND, in true Minnesota fashion, a teenager in shorts yesterday. The markings of spring for sure.

And yesterday also marked my FIRST outdoor run of the season! To say it was less than stellar would be an understatement. I think I doubted this whole marathon thing about 30 times in the 37 minute run :) But I've come to realize that you NEVER mark your running endurance by the first outdoor run of the year. It just is so different from indoor running, and you have all season to get faster. Whew. I feel better already.

Hard to see the stats, but it

was 3.0 miles in 37 minutes. In my defense, I had a bathroom pit stop and LOTS of walking. Not sure if that's a defense of good or bad, but I'll chalk it up to a starting point and move on.

And check out THIS happy face post-run! Sunshine is a really really good thing.

I have had the most awful time sleeping the past two nights. I have no idea what it is, but I wake up and cannot for the life of me fall back asleep! I had another internal debate about a workout today.

First, I'm tired. I had to get up and drive some kids to school, or I would have happily stayed sleeping for a bit.

Second, it's midterm week. For my seminary course, we do two exams for a midterm, and two for a final. I just have been feeling blah lately and not studying like I should, and the exams are due this week (they're online, and we have a week to do them).

So I decided to take today to cram my little heart out and get both exams done. This means I likely won't get a workout in. And at first, my mind went crazy trying to make me feel guilty about it. That I was failing somehow, that I was a slacker, that I would magically gain back 100 lbs (gah, didn't that just happen yesterday?!), that sort of thing. And I seriously had to talk myself down from the ledge. I need to prioritize, and it is what it is. I need to get these exams out of the way, and honestly they're much more important than a workout. Tomorrow I can get up early and workout if I want to, but I don't have to. And I definitely don't have to punish myself by restricting food (a nasty habit I've gotten into, recently) or binge because that feels like the only other option. I apparently don't understand gray area- only extremes :)

It felt really good to get all that out. I feel a million times better already! Now, to study. Eek.